Yokozuna

Yokozuna
Statistics
Japanese Name:	ヨコヅナ
Romanized Name:	Yokozuna
Official English Name:	Yokozuna
Debut:	Chapter 322; Episode 228
Affiliations:	Tom's Workers (former)
Residence:	Water 7
Status:	Alive
Japanese VA:	Masaya Takatsuka
Funi English VA:	Mike McFarland

Yokozuna is a Sumo Frog that Tom's Workers kept as a pet, friend and mascot up until Tom's execution.

He is a supporting character throughout the Water 7 Saga.

Appearance

Yokozuna is a giant frog with yellow-brown skin and black hair worn in a chonmage. He has numerous scars on his belly (from testing his strength against the Sea Train, a task inspired by his comrade Franky's death-defying act). He also has sharp, jagged teeth and is seemingly a facultative biped, used mostly for his sumo stance.

Personality

Yokozuna cares very much for his friends and loved ones. He is exceptionally loyal to Franky who taught him the frontcrawl-stroke when they were younger.

Abilities and Powers

Yokozuna is a powerful swimmer and is strong enough to derail a Sea Train, although it did leave him scars on his face, arms, and belly from challenging it for years. He dodged Luffy's point-blank assaults and even sent him flying, along with also able to block an attack of one of the Just Eleven Jurymen which was able to stop a king bull.

History

Past

At least 24 years ago, Yokozuna had been the pet of Tom's Workers and was close with them. Yokozuna was often present for the construction of the Puffing Tom that spanned for the next ten years. However 10 years ago, Tom and Franky were framed by CP5 agent's using the warships that Franky had built to fight the Sea Kings to attack Water 7. As a result, Tom was sentenced to death and Yokozuna and Tom's workers were brought to trial. Franky, however attacked the agent responsible and later stood in front of the Puffing Tom, trying to rescue Tom, all of which Yokozuna witnessed. When Franky was run over by the train, Yokozuna became traumatized by the event and would always swim through the waters around Water 7, getting in the way of the Sea Train to try and stop it for many years. This habit was sprung by Yokozuna wanting to become stronger so he will not lose any more of his loved ones.

Water 7 Saga

Water 7 Arc

When Yokozuna was first introduced he was performing this very routine when Zoro spotted him from the Going Merry; after informing the rest of his crew about the giant frog swimming in a freestyle manner not unlike a human, Luffy immediately decided to slightly change course (they were headed to the next island, which happened to be Water 7) to capture the giant frog so his crew could have a nice barbecue meal. This habit also caused Yokozuna to try and stop the Rocketman while the Straw Hat Pirates, Galley-La foremen, and the Franky Family were traveling towards Enies Lobby, but because Old Lady Kokoro, an old friend of his, was present to tell him of Franky's plight, he ends up helping them in their attempt to get Franky and Nico Robin back.

Enies Lobby Arc

While on Enies Lobby, his defensive style forged through years of facing down Puffing Tom put him in charge of preventing any government agents from getting into the courthouse once the Straw Hats and Co. had breached it, and does this very well, even handling multiple attacks from the powerful Jurors when they arrive. After he becomes exhausted and cannot stand up to the them anymore, he is saved by the giants Oimo and Kashii who decide to help him guard the courthouse and acknowledge his prowess. Yokozuna later boarded the Sea Train with the Franky Family, the Galley-La foremen, and the giants and has since returned to Water 7.

Thriller Bark Saga

Where They Are Now

He no longer challenges the Sea Train.

Fish-Man Island Saga

From the Decks of the World

Yokozuna with Kokoro after the timeskip.

After the timeskip, he was seen swimming with Kokoro, who was enjoying her vacation.

Whole Cake Island Saga

From the Decks of the World: the 500,000,000 Man Arc

When Franky's new wanted poster reached Water 7, Yokozuna looked at it with Iceburg and his other acquaintances.

Major Battles

• Yokozuna vs. One of the Just Eleven Jurymen
• Yokozuna and some of Franky Family vs. Marine Officers, Government Agents, and some of Just Eleven Jurymen

Translation and Dub Issues

Yokozuna's species is possibly meant to reference his (former) primary motivation, as the Japanese for "frog" (蛙, Kaeru^?) is homophonous with the term for "return [home]" (帰る, Kaeru^?). This pun is made explicit in Chapter 374 (Episode 262), where Luffy's recognition of him is briefly mistaken for an order to turn the Rocketman around.

As this pun relies on Japanese-unique wordplay, the Viz manga adapts it as Luffy telling his companions to "turn around and look" (so they can also see Yokozuna), while the Funimation anime adapts it as Luffy ordering Yokozuna himself to turn back.

Merchandise

Video Games

Playable Appearances

• One Piece: Pirates Carnival
• One Piece Treasure Cruise
• One Piece Bon! Bon! Journey!!

Support Appearances

• One Piece: Dance Battle

Trivia

• His name is a reference to sumo's Yokozuna (横綱^?) rank, the highest and most prestigious in the sport.
• His preference for front-crawl swimming is an ironic joke on his species, as real-life Frogs are universally identified with the breaststroke (so much so that many languages colloquially or even officially refer to it as frog-crawl).